Prologue

The paved floor outside glistened from the retched rain that had somehow managed to make Lindsays bones feel damp. Her teeth chattered from the biting cold as she made her way up the cobbled walkway to her mothers house. All around her, tree’s swayed in unison causing their leaves to rustle in the wind.

Diana, Lindsay’s beloved newborn baby, seemed to not care about the icy cold weather. She lay in Lindsays arms, fast asleep and unaware of the possible danger she was in.

Apart from the sound of gentle rustling, the street was oddly silent. Lindsay was not surprised, though, as it was 2 o’clock in the morning. It would be at least 2 hours before the world would begin to wake.

Lindsay felt slightly guilty as she knocked on her mother’s door. She could hear her heart thudding in her chest as she waited. At first nothing happened, and Lindsay stood in the dark hoping with every fibre of her being that her mother was home, but luckily she soon began to hear footsteps and annoyed muttering.

As soon as Elaine caught a glimpse of Lindsay and her child in the cold, the door opened fully in an instant and she ushered them in.

“Lindsay, what are you doing?” Elaine harshly whispered as she embraced her daughter, “Do you know the time? It’s bloody 3 in the mornin’!”

Lindsay’s eyes began to water and Elaine’s face softened as she led them into her front room. She could clearly see something was terribly wrong.

Elaine’s front room was just as it always had been. With it’s old brick fireplace, and it’s white fluffy rugs, the small but familiar room still bore the same cozy feel. With a sigh, Lindsay sat on the brown, soft sofa and let her head rest against her mother’s patterened pillows that smelled of her childhood filled with baking cookies and telling stories around the fireplace. Their time around the fireplace wasn’t exactly the same as around a campfire, but they still had just as much fun, if not more, than camping.

“Hun, what’s wrong?” Elaine asked cautiously as she sat opposite Lindsay. Her hand rested upon Lindsays knee in an effort to comfort her daughter.

Lindsay did not even know what to say first. So many things were wrong. She shut her eyes and kept them closed, enjoying the calmness the darkness brought. She wished with all her might to shut out everything and everyone. So many things had been on her mind and all she wanted was to worry about childish things. She revelled upon the idea of worrying about her outfit- not her daughters life.

“It’s Derek, Mum. He’s coming to get Diana.” Lindsay stifled in a sob.

Elaine froze and pulled her extended arm up to her chest. She went to say something but decided not to. She bore an expression of horror.

“I have to go and help out, you need to take Diana and go far away to the home we bought in the countryside. I don’t know if I’ll be back but-"

Elaine cut her off, “No. No, Lindsay, they don’t need you. I need you. You can’t just leave your family for some war you may not even win. I will not allow you to become some toy to be meddled with,” Elaine’s hands had now become fists, “You are not a toy, you are special. Do not waste your talents on war. Please.”

Elaine now stood above Lindsay and she stared into her eyes attempting to search for an answer. Lindsay knew her mother would disagree. War was dangerous, after all, but this was different. The world’s fate was at stake. Even though the idea of staying with her family was wonderful, it was not realistic. If she stayed now, those pesky monsters may never leave the face of the earth. They were getting stronger by numbers and by force every second. She needed to leave before she lost sight of what was right.

“I understand you are worried for my safety but I will be careful. The whole world is in danger and it needs my skill to have a chance of winning this war. The Bellator’s are coming soon and if I don’t stop them, everyone on this planet will have to face the consiquences,” Lindsay put on a brave face, “I have to go now.”

Elaine looked down at the floor and her chin began to quiver. Lindsay knew she understood that there would be no chance of changing her mind, or her future. Nobody but herself could do that.

“I love you,” Elaine embraced Lindsay, “Be safe.” Her mother looked her in the eyes lovingly and took a step back.

Lindsay nodded and wiped her tears from her face. A strong wave of determination swept over her and she knew she would come home safe for her mother and her daughter. She would win this war no matter what.

Diana wailed on the couch, sensing her mother’s absence. Lindsay picked her up gently and gave her a kiss on her little pink nose. Diana giggled at that and grabbed a handful of her mother’s hair. Lindsay looked at her child with adoration. She loved her soft red hair and her bright blue eyes. She loved the way that she felt in her arms and the way that she always managed to ease tension with her high pitch laugh.

“I love you Diana. Remember that.” Lindsay whispered.

She then let Elaine take Diana and as soon as she did, a feeling of loss filled her heart. The moment Diana was no longer in the safety of her own arms, she felt so alone. It took a lot of courage to turn her head to the sound of her weeping child and walk away.

"Goodbye," Lindsay said as she brushed away her persistent tears.

Lindsay did not look back to her mother or her daughter. She couldn’t bear to see them with the knowledge it would be the last time. There was a high chance she would not be coming home. A storm had begun to form and Lindsay was beginning to hear the thunder in the distance. If she did not fight for a clear sky, the world would be trapped in eternal darkness in which nobody would be safe.

Lindsay knew that soon her own town would be in danger. She opened the door and let the cool air wrap itself around her body. She breathed in the fresh air and took a step away from her family and towards an uncertain future.

A gust of wind felt it’s way through her long chocolate brown hair as Lindsay closed the door behind her, never lifting her head to see her family in pain. Above her, the clouds blew gracefully away as the wind howled.

As she got into her old Mini Cooper the rain poured down harder, causing it to make thudding noises on her car roof. Lindsay put on the window scrapers, and they barely cleared the rain. It got even worse as she began to drive.

Despite the rain, she somehow managed to hold her head high and continue on into the dreary night.

Lindsay had been driving for a while. The sky’s color had begun to change from a pitch black to a darker blue and her eyelids had started to protest the need to stay awake.

“Alright I get it, I’m tired.” Lindsay said aloud in mid-yawn.

There was nothing she could do about it, though. She would need to drive at least another half hour before she could get the chance to rest. The hum of her car filled the air and kept her a little more alert. Outside she could still hear the eerie sound of the wind and the patter of the rain continued on as it had been for the last two hours.

The road was completely deserted. Lindsay had not seen one person since she had gotten into her old, red mini cooper. It was 5:30 AM, so she had expected at least some people to be on the road. It unnerved Lindsay a little, she felt like she was the only person around for miles.

As Lindsay had been driving, multiple horrible thoughts had sneaked into her mind. Most of them ended in Diana and Elaine in danger, or even worse- dead. Even though she knew it was nonsense, there was still a part of her that needed to know that they were safe, and on their way to their home to the country, far from danger. She picked up her phone and called her mother.

“I’ll be careful. There’s not even anyone on the road anyway. Soon I’ll be--“ Lindsay stopped mid sentence as she heard a loud thud come from outside.

Jesus, had she just hit someone?

“Mum, I think I just hit someone, or an animal or something. I’ll be right back- stay on the phone.”

“Oh god. I hate to say I told you so but--“

“Mum! This is no time to joke.” Lindsay snapped, “I’m going outside.”

Lindsay opened her door and the sound of the wind intensified. Her hair blew about wildly and she had to tie it back to see nobody in front of her car.

“What the?” Lindsay said, baffled as to where the sound came from if she hadn’t hit anyone.

While half shocked, half relieved Lindsay looked about her car, hoping to see nothing or no-one dead. She was just about to get back into her car when she saw him standing behind her.

Derek stood in front of her car grinning. His eyes were blood red and his teeth were ragged and deadly sharp. His huge figure stood in front of her car headlights and created a dark looming shadow over Lindsay.

His face still bore the large, grotesque scar on his left cheek. His forearms burst with strength and it scared Lindsay. She felt tiny compared to him.

Wide-eyed, she tried to run away but Derek soon had his cold hands on her shoulders before she could get a mere few feet away from him.

“What do you want from me, you monster,” Lindsay spat out, “Get your hands off of me!”

Lindsay tried to pathetically wriggle out of his grip, but she soon realised it was no use. She was not getting away. He was so close that she could feel his icy breath on her neck.

“I want to kiss you,” He smirked,” Then take the child.”

Lindsay saw no trace of the happy man she once knew. She forced herself to look at his once innocent eyes and give him a glare.

“You dare touch me or my baby and I’ll kill you.”

Derek laughed at this, and when he smiled it looked incredibly wrong. It was like seeing a old, crippled man try to run with his cane- awkward and completely not normal. He was incapable of happiness, or any emotion other than pain and hate.

He touched her chin and went to kiss her but she spat in his face before turning away.

“Aww,” Derek pouted, “Am I not your type, you stupid girl?”

“Did you not get the message? I’ll try again.” Lindsay said before kicking him hard in the left shin. She heard a crack and pushed away from his tight hold. Lindsay punched him in the face and to her horror, he did not even flinch.

“Oh, Lindsay, that really hurt. Now why would you do that to me?” Derek said in a serious tone. Mocking her efforts to get away. He winced and kicked his left leg out to straighted his cracked bone. It was as if nothing had even happened.

Being careful to not waste too much time in utter awe, she pulled out a small knife from her front pocket and threw it towards Dereks heart. Despite her force and strength, he caught the knife just a inch from his chest. His deep and horrible laugh filled the air as he approached Lindsay.

Her hands shook in fear and she tried to mask it. She stretched out her arm and shot a beam at him, to which he dodged with no effort. Her hand throbbed from the energy she had to muster up to create the deadly light. Lindsay had only begun her training and had trouble controlling her power. She tried once more and aimed at his heart. Derek dodged once more, but not quite quick enough.

The beam hit his shoulder and she heard his skin sizzle from the heat. He winced, but not openly as he began to transform before her eyes. His body shook and shuddered as he changed into a true monster. To Lindsays disgust she heard popping and cracking. Within a few seconds Derek had turned.

He stared right at her with his red, dead eyes. She felt his stare penetrate her body, and enter her mind. Lindsay tried to fight his influence, but she was weak from sleep deprivation.

“Now tell me where the child is and no harm shall come to you.” Derek said as his even sharper teeth were put on display.

His skin was now completely pale. His looming body towered over her and his claws found their way to her neck. He pierced her skin and she stifled in a cry of pain.

“Go to hell.” Lindsay said whilst staring right back at it.

With that, Derek cut her throat a little more and in anger threw her towards the concrete road. Lindsay heard a crunch as she hit the ground and knew she would die. After all, Derek had no reason to keep her alive. She was just a toy to be meddled with as her mother had warned her. She was just another disposable life in his eyes. Despite what they had been through together, he would kill her and take Diana. As the world around her became dark and blury, Lindsay realised with dispair that Derek was going to destroy the world and nobody would be there to stop him.